This delicious dessert differs from the traditional Sicilian Cassata for the shortcrust pastry. In fact this one wraps a delicious filling of ricotta and chocolate cream. Obviously, there isn’t marzipan and the use of sponge cake inside is optional. In fact the sponge cake has the function of absorbing any release of liquid from the ricotta during cooking. Marsala wine and cinnamon are two fundamental elements of this preparation: they give authenticity to this Sicilian dessert. If you don’t use them, the dessert will lose its essential flavor! So be careful of the ingredients!
Ingredients for a cake of 20 cm in diameter:
For the shortcrust pastry:
- 300 grams flour 00
- 120 grams granulated sugar
- 150 grams cold butter
- 50 grams whole eggs (about 1 large egg)
- 2 tablespoons of Marsala wine
- Salt to taste.
For the ricotta cream:
- 500 grams sheep’s milk ricotta
- 200 grams caster sugar
- 30 grams dark chocolate chips
- Cinnamon powder to taste
To decorate:
- Powdered sugar to taste
- Cinnamon powder or bitter cocoa to taste
Method
The day before the preparation of the cake, you will have to “drain” the ricotta for two or three hours so that it loses some of its liquid. Sift it and add the sugar. Sift it again and add chocolate chips. Place in the fridge until the next day.
Put the flour, the diced butter, the salt, the egg, the sugar and the Marsala wine in a food processor. Blend quickly. Pour the mixture on a work surface and start kneading by hand. Knead briefly, that is, until the dough is compact. Wrap with baking paper and refrigerate for about an hour. Then remove from the fridge and start working the dough and rolling it out with a rolling pin. Create a sheet
with half a centimeter thick. Grease and flour a baking tin. Lay the shortcrust pastry layer on top and make it adhere to the edges. Remove the pasta that comes out of the baking tin, pierce the bottom with a fork and then add the ricotta cream that you have perfumed with cinnamon. Make a circle of shortcrust pastry from the remaining dough and lay it on top, covering the cassata. Remove the excess pastry and seal side edges. Prick with a fork and cook in a preheated oven at 180° Celsius degrees for about 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool. Turn the cake upside down and serve on a big dish. Decorate with icing sugar and cinnamon.